Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A system comprising: a device attachment comprising: a housing; an infrared sensor assembly within the housing, the infrared sensor assembly configured to capture infrared image data; a first non-thermal camera module within the housing, the first non-thermal camera module configured to capture non-thermal image data; and a processing module communicatively coupled to the infrared sensor assembly and the first non-thermal camera module; and a user device releasably attached to the housing of the device attachment, the user device comprising: a second non-thermal camera module; and a light source, wherein the processing module is configured to cooperate with the infrared sensor assembly, the first non-thermal camera module in the device attachment and at least one of the second non-thermal camera module in the user device or the light source to capture and process images, wherein the processing module is configured to determine a parallax correction for the infrared sensor assembly and the first non-thermal camera module based on a first non-thermal image from the first non-thermal camera module and a second non-thermal image from the second non-thermal camera module.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing module is configured to: determine a distance to an object using the first non-thermal image from the first non-thermal camera module of the device attachment and the second non-thermal image from the second non-thermal camera module of the user device; and determine the parallax correction for the infrared sensor assembly and the first non-thermal camera module based on the determined distance.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the processing module is configured to determine the distance based on a parallax-induced shift of the object in the first and second non-thermal images and based on a known distance between the first non-thermal camera module of the device attachment and the second non-thermal camera module of the user device.
4. The system of claim 3 , further comprising the user device attached to the device attachment.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user device comprises a processor, and wherein the processing module of the device attachment is further configured to cooperate with the processor of the user device.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein the user device comprises a mobile phone, and wherein the light source is a light source of the mobile phone.
7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing module is configured to combine a thermal image from the infrared sensor assembly with the first non-thermal image using the determined parallax correction, and wherein the infrared sensor assembly comprises a plurality of microbolometers.
8. A method of operating the system of claim 1 , the method comprising: capturing the second non-thermal image using the second non-thermal camera module in the user device, wherein the user device is a portable electronic device; capturing the first non-thermal image using the first non-thermal camera module in the device attachment that is attached to the portable electronic device; determining a distance to an object using the first and second non-thermal images; capturing a thermal image using the infrared sensor assembly in the device attachment; performing the parallax correction on at least one of the thermal image or the first non-thermal image based on the determining the distance; and combining, following the performing, the thermal image and the first non-thermal image to form an enhanced output image.
9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising providing power from a battery in the device attachment to the portable electronic device.
10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising: operating the light source of the portable electronic device; and synchronizing the capturing of the first and second non-thermal images based on the operating the light source.
11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising: monitoring a movement of the portable electronic device and the device attachment; and capturing the first and second non-thermal images when the movement is below a desired threshold.
12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising: capturing additional images of an additional object using the second non-thermal camera module, the first non-thermal camera module, and the infrared sensor assembly; detecting edges of the additional object in each of the additional images; and determining, based at least on the edges in each of the additional images, alignment and distortion corrections between the second non-thermal camera module and the first non-thermal camera module for use in the performing of the parallax correction.
13. A method of operating the system of claim 1 , the method comprising: performing a calibration operation for the infrared sensor assembly in the device attachment that is attached to the user device; receiving an image-based temperature determination request of an object from a user; in response to the image-based temperature determination request, determining whether a time since the performing is less than a maximum allowed time; and capturing a thermal image using the infrared sensor assembly based on the determining that the time since the performing is less than the maximum allowed time.
14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the performing comprises capturing one or more images of a closed shutter of the device attachment using the infrared sensor assembly, the method further comprising: based on the determining that the time since the performing is greater than the maximum allowed time, providing instructions to the user to close the shutter to perform a new calibration of the infrared sensor assembly.
15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing module is further configured to operate the light source while the infrared image data and non-thermal image data are captured to cooperate with the infrared sensor assembly, the first non-thermal camera module in the device attachment, and the light source to capture and process the images.
16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the processing module is configured to combine the infrared image data and the non-thermal image data captured while the light source was operated to form an enhanced output image.
17. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing module is further configured to: receive the infrared image data, the non-thermal image data, and additional non-thermal image data from the second non-thermal camera module in the user device; and combine the infrared image data and the non-thermal image data based on a correction determined using the non-thermal image data and the additional non-thermal image data to cooperate with the infrared sensor assembly, the first non-thermal camera module in the device attachment, and the second non-thermal camera module in the user device to capture and process the images.
18. The system of claim 1 , wherein the processing module is configured to cooperate with the infrared sensor assembly, the first non-thermal camera module in the device attachment, the second non-thermal camera module in the user device, and the light source to capture and process the images.
19. The system of claim 1 , wherein the device attachment further comprises a battery configured to selectively provide power to the user device.
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April 5, 2022
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